Method of making printing-blocks



T.GROSSLEY.

METHOD OF MAKING BLOCKS FOR PRINTING.

110. 11,321. Patented July 18. 1854.

mlnemm,

srArns PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS CROSSLEY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF MAKING PRINTING-BLOCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,321, dated July 1 8, 1854.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS CRossLnY, of

Boston,in the county of Suiiolk and State description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, and which will be referred to hereafter.

Blocks for printing woolen goods have heretofore been faced with felt; the process by which this has been accomplished being tedious and expensive. It has been found however that gutta percha is far superior to felt as a material for forming printing surfaces, and my invention consists in an economical and expeditious method of applying the gutta percha to a. wooden block, which method I will describe as follows: I take a block of maple or other suitable wood and cover its surface with fine saw kerfs a, running at right angles to each other as seen in Figure 1, and sinking about inch more or less below the surface this divides the surface of the block into minute quadrangular prisms; these prismatic pieces are then removed from those portions of the block not covered by the figure, and are left remaining upon those portions which are covered by the figure, in a manner similar to that adopted for makingblocks for printing floor cloths. The gutta percha is then softened in the customary way and laid upon a fiat surface; the block prepared as above is then pressed upon the gutta percha, by which meansthe latter is forced into the interstices Z2, between the minute prisms which compose the figure. These prisms are thus bound solidly and firmly together, and a surface is produced having all the absorbent qualities of the gutta percha and all' the strength of the wood itself, while it is more economicallyand expeditiously made than can be done by any method with which I am acquainted.

A further advantage which my block possesses results from the fact that the wood of which it is composed is far less liable to warp than where felt is employed; in the latter case the moisture of the colors is allowed to pass freely through the felt to the wood, by which the latteris both warped and split. Where the block is constructed with gutta perchain the manner above described, the water is effectually secluded from the wood, which is thus protected from either warping or splitting, casualties to which printing blocks as heretofore constructed were more or less exposed.

I do notclaim the use of gutta percha, as a material for making printing blocks, neither do I claim sawing blocks into prisms, for the purpose of more easily removing those portions of the block not required for the figure, but

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The within described method of making printing blocks, the surface of gutta percha being applied to the surface of the wood, in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

THOMAS CROSSLEY. Vitnesses: A

SAM. COOPER, JOHN S. (how. 

